: made unclear or confusing : distorted or mixed up
a garbled message
garbled speech
… scientific cranks—those folks who concoct garbled and grandiose pseudo-scientific theories …—
Robert W. Wilson
Robert W. WilsonA garbled group of syllables came over the speaker.—Tom Clancy
Tom ClancyBut so much happened afterward to him that his five-day drive from Cracow to Warsaw soon became a garbled fading memory.—Herman Wouk
Herman WoukSince the algorithm relies on the absolute accuracy of everything it has read to build the file, garbled information could lead to any number of mistakes.—Paul C. Schuytema
Paul C. SchuytemaExamples of garbled in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
President Donald Trump has made garbled calls, walked back by Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, to resume U.S. nuclear testing.
—The Editors, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
There was often a communications blackout around Beirut, and when calls did go through, the best anyone could hope for was a garbled exchange of pleasantries against erratic static.
—Literary Hub, 3 Dec. 2025
Pierre Huyghe’s Idiom, 2024, provides a similarly disarming experience, comprising a gold mask that recalls relics from ancient Greece, but which houses an artificial-intelligence program that generates garbled language in real time in response to sounds in the gallery, including visitors’ prompts.
—Tim Griffin, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
In fact, the core messages can get garbled if the media can’t keep up with the intended meaning.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for garbled
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The Editors, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
There was often a communications blackout around Beirut, and when calls did go through, the best anyone could hope for was a garbled exchange of pleasantries against erratic static.
—Literary Hub, 3 Dec. 2025
Pierre Huyghe’s Idiom, 2024, provides a similarly disarming experience, comprising a gold mask that recalls relics from ancient Greece, but which houses an artificial-intelligence program that generates garbled language in real time in response to sounds in the gallery, including visitors’ prompts.
—Tim Griffin, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
In fact, the core messages can get garbled if the media can’t keep up with the intended meaning.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for garbled
Cite this Entry
“Garbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garbled. Accessed 28 Dec. 2025.
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